1 Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to
be left in Athens alone, and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and
our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you
concerning your faith, that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for
you yourselves know that we are appointed to this.
Timothy was sent to help
encourage the Thessalonians throughout their persecution. All who believe in
YHWH are appointed to afflictions during this life. As you will read in the
following passages, because we are not of this world after having believed, the
world will hate us. Believers will be different and set apart from the rest of
the world. They do not fit in.
John 15:18-21
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.
If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not
of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his
master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My
word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for
My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.
Matthew 24:9
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you
will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.
Matthew 10:22
And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to
the end will be saved.
4 For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would
suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know.
Paul states we had already told
them tribulation would come upon them.
5 For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know
your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might
be in vain.
Paul became worried the
Thessalonians would be tempted into forgetting their faith.
This shows, we are under constant
attack from Satan and there is a real possibility of falling away from YHWH
after knowing Him.
6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and brought us good
news of your faith and love, and that you always have good remembrance of us,
greatly desiring to see us, as we also to see you— therefore, brethren, in all
our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith.
Timothy has already went to and
come back from Thessalonica at the time of this writing. The apostles are
comforted from the report Timothy gave to them.
8 For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.
So long as you stand fast in
YHWH, we will live.
9 For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with
which we rejoice for your sake before our God, night and day praying
exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your
faith?
The apostles pray they will be
able to perfect what is lacking in the faith of the Thessalonians.
11 Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ,
direct our way to you.
Paul wants YHWH to bring them to
Thessalonica.
12 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another
and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts
blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ with all His saints.
Paul prays YHWH increases the
love for one another of the Thessalonians in order to establish a blameless
heart in each of these men at the second coming of Yeshua.
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